Justice Delayed
by Ace Bullets
Summary: When terror strikes Toronto, Special Agent DiNozzo is confronted with a mystery when he encounters a face he once knew very well. With the help of members of Team One and other close allies, Tony is on a mission to repay a debt and set right a terrible wrong.
1. Twin Theory

AN: This is a _Flashpoint/NCIS _crossover that has been in the works for _years. _I just never had the time to bring it to life. It's still in pieces right now, but I have a clear ending and will update as frequently as possible. (There were just too many canon details about Paula Cassidy's life to ignore, quite honestly, to have let this plot go.)

* * *

**Twin Theory**

**_Sunday, June 24, 2012_**

If NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo had things his way, he wouldn't have been working the tips hotline that weekend. Two days earlier, the atmosphere around the bullpen had been thick with tension for a few hours when several bombings rocked their Canadian neighbours in Toronto. Frantic questions about the Friday attack buzzed everywhere, including ones concerning the possibility of similar and imminent attacks occurring on U.S. soil.

"_What's going on?"_ Tony remembered asking Tim when phones started ringing and the energy in the room became more electrified.

"Our neighbors to the north in Toronto," McGee uttered with understated urgency. "Looks like a terrorist attack."

"Has there been any uptick in terrorist chatter for our Canadian allies?" Gibbs asked the junior agent.

Tim shook his head in the negative. "None, Boss."

"Homeland Security is monitoring the situation," Ziva said, her words terse. Bombings always had a personal, negative effect on her whether she tried to deny it or not.

"NTAS* hasn't issued anything yet, since there's no credible threat against the United States, but I'd hazard a guess we're on elevated status," McGee concluded.

By early afternoon, NTAS had indeed released information declaring the Canadian situation was domestic in nature and that the appropriate authorities were handling the situation. Nevertheless, the bullpen had one TV monitor pulling a broadcast feed from one of the Canadian national networks, allowing the agents to see firsthand the deadly carnage wrought by multiple detonations throughout the city.

With the Toronto situation resolved, Tony hoped the kooks would stay off the phones for the rest of the weekend. It was a relief all-round that the bombs had been the work of a lone wolf and not some foreign terrorist or sleeper cell bent on destabilizing the peace and freedoms enjoyed by members living in the free world. He kept his internet browser open on a few Canadian news sites, checking the pages each time there was an update.

On Saturday, personal accounts of the day came out along with grim pictures of destroyed buildings. City Hall, in particular, had suffered considerable damage, but the injured mayor was expected to make a full recovery. The heroes of the day were also being mentioned: all those first-responders who had put their lives on the line to rescue trapped civilians; those who disarmed bombs, and those who paid the ultimate price, including two yet unnamed Strategic Response Unit officers.

Tony read about the selfless SRU Sergeant Gregory Parker: the man who tracked down a bomb that had been planted right inside Fletcher Stadium, the site designated for treating mass casualties. Parker, who had faced down the lunatic bomber—getting shot several times in the process—was now in critical condition. The identity of the bomber was soon publicized, a twenty-something male named Marcus Faber. Specifics about his death were not yet available, though reports stated Faber's rampage was ended by a member of the SRU; a mandatory investigation by the civilian Special Investigations Unit was pending.

By Sunday, the updates were not rolling in as frequently, but there was another important update, this one presenting profiles of the two slain SRU cops. Tony felt an instant bond with these officers even though he had not known them personally; the law enforcement brotherhood was borderless. He read their names—James Gallagher and Donna Sabine—and how their service ended abruptly when they walked into what was being described as a trap deliberately set by Faber to kill police officers.

Tony's breath caught in his throat as his eyes fell upon the image of Constable Sabine. He sat in stunned silence for several seconds, trying to overcome the jarring sensation that crashed upon him. Tony read the caption below the woman's picture three times; took in the distinctive uniform of the Toronto Police Strategic Response Unit; double-checked that the source of the image was courtesy the Toronto Police, but he still had difficulty processing what his eyes beheld. This picture could not be of some person named "Donna Sabine"; this was a picture of a ghost from his past.

To be sure he was not losing his mind, DiNozzo called out to McGee. "Probie!"

"What is it, DiNozzo?" Tim answered back guardedly.

"Who's this a picture of?" Tony asked, deliberately cropping the image so it was neck-up—no identifying tags to give away her name or profession. Tim turned to look.

"Paula Cassidy," he replied without hesitation.

Ziva overheard the question and answer. She came to see for herself, taking in the image from a more analytical angle. "Yes… but something is different." Turning to Tony, she asked: "Did you do something to this picture?"

"What do you mean?"

"Paula Cassidy died five years ago," Ziva stated the fact. "This picture… it is as if you took an old one of Paula and put it through that… age-enhancing program. This is what Paula would look like today, if she were still alive."

Tony appreciated Ziva's critical eye, and he could see the truth of her words. "So, we agree this is Paula?" he asked, seeking consensus.

Tim got a quizzical look on his face. "Yeah," he said slowly, blinking several times. "Why, what's going on?"

Fully convinced his eyes weren't deceiving him now that both Tim and Ziva came to the same conclusion he had, Tony relented. "_This_ is the last NCIS picture of Paula." He slid the image of the deceased agent to the right-hand side of the screen. As Ziva said, the image on the left—that of SRU Constable Donna Sabine—did seem slightly more mature. "The hairstyle is different, too, obviously," Tony added. "In any case, that's _not_ Paula on the left."

"If this one on the left _isn't_ Paula, then who is it?" asked McGee, confusion still scrawled across his face.

"Constable Donna Sabine of the Toronto Strategic Response Unit," replied Tony, revealing the full image from the news article. "And she was killed on Friday in those bombings."

By their silences, Tony knew his team mates' shock was just as genuine as his own.

"A _lookalike_?" asked Tim, gaping at the pictures now with newfound fascination.

Tony shrugged. "Pretty damned identical lookalike," he commented dryly. "Perhaps. But here's the thing: _Paula_ _was born in Toronto to U.S. ex-pats_..."

By now, Agent Gibbs joined the small gathering but for the moment said nothing.

"Paula wasn't adopted, was she?" Tim queried, jumping to the next logical question he could think to ask.

"Not that I know of," answered Tony.

"I would have bet $100 that was Paula Cassidy. Damned uncanny." Gibbs finally spoke.

Tony gave his head an unconscious shake. "I would have, too. This can't be a coincidence that someone looking _exactly_ like Paula was living in Toronto. I gotta do something..."

"Like what?" asked Tim.

Tony turned to Gibbs. "Boss, if it's okay with you, I'd like to place a call to Paula's mother in California."

"Yeah, do it," Gibbs said. "My gut's telling me something's hinky about this, too."

Tony was already looking up the contact information for the mother of his deceased friend and fellow agent. After three rings, a warm voice answered. "Hello?"

Tony identified himself and asked if he was speaking with D.J. Cassidy. "This is she," the woman replied. "I remember you, Agent DiNozzo, from Paula's funeral; it's been a long time. What can I do for you?"

After exchanging the customary pleasantries, Tony jumped right into the reason for his call. "We have an… unusual situation here, and I was hoping you could help clear up a few things."

"Of course, Agent DiNozzo."

"You've seen the news about the bombings on Friday in Toronto?"

"Oh my, yes. What a terrible situation," D.J. replied. "To be honest, it brought back some very painful memories. I've had to tune it out."

"I'm sorry for that," Tony said, then asked: "Does the name 'Donna Sabine' mean anything to you?"

"Donna Sabine?" D.J. repeated. "No. Should it?"

Tony heard no guile in the woman's voice. He paused for a moment before speaking again, glancing at the computer monitor once more. The identical blue eyes of both deceased women seemed to bore a hole into his. "Mrs. Cassidy, I'd like to send you a picture of someone," Tony resumed the conversation. "Do you have email?"

"Yes," D.J. said. "I'm in the kitchen right now; but let me go to the den to turn on my laptop… I mainly use it to Skype with my grandchildren."

"You have Skype? That'll work, too," Tony said hastily. "I can send you the image file and we can talk on camera about it."

"All right, sure. I'll be right back."

Tony waited, drumming his fingers on the desk.

Presently, D.J. returned. "I'm here, and I'm signing into my account." She gave Tony her Skype I.D., and the agent quickly called up the account. The large flat screen in the bullpen came to life with the image of the older woman, seated in what appeared to be a cozy office.

"Good morning again, Agent DiNozzo," she said cheerily. "It's nice to see you."

"Likewise," Tony replied. He took in D.J.'s features, noticing not for the first time how much of her looks seemed to have been passed on to Paula.

"Now, what's this about?"

Tony clicked on the file he had just saved containing the image of SRU Constable Donna Sabine. "Mrs. Cassidy, I'm sending you that picture I spoke about."

"Okay, I see the file in the chat window. I'm opening it," D.J. said.

"Can you identify this woman?" Tony asked, purposely not giving any pre-warning. He wanted to judge her cold reaction. Tim, Ziva, and Gibbs were also watching closely.

There was a small intake of air as D.J. looked at the picture she had just opened. "This… this looks like my daughter. This looks like Paula. But it's not any photo of her I've ever seen. I-I don't understand," she stammered. "It's like Paula, but it isn't. I mean, it can't be Paula, can it? W-Where did you get this?"

"This is a picture of the woman I mentioned earlier: Donna Sabine," Tony said. "She was a constable with the Toronto Police Service. She was killed on Friday in those bombings."

"_Killed_!" exclaimed D.J. "In Toronto?"

Tony plunged ahead with the next question. "Mrs. Cassidy, can you think of any reason why a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Paula would have been in Toronto?"

D.J.'s face had gone noticeably pale. She swallowed. "I-I don't know what to tell you, except…"

Tony didn't hesitate. "This is a difficult question for you, and I'm sorry to ask it. There's nothing in Paula's NCIS file indicating she wasn't your biological daughter, but… was Paula adopted?" Even as he asked it, Tony knew it was the least likely answer, but just because Paula happened to look like D.J. did not guarantee maternity.

"No, she wasn't adopted. Paula was my biological daughter," D.J. was adamant. "I gave birth to her."

"Then I think you can guess my next question," Tony said. "Did Paula have a twin?"

D.J. closed her eyes. She drew a long breath before replying. "It's been so long… Yes, Agent DiNozzo, Paula had a twin sister. But that baby was stillborn."

"Stillborn?" echoed Tony. He was not expecting that response.

"Yes. It was a difficult birthing. The doctor had to do an emergency C-section," D.J. explained. "When I woke up afterwards, the head nurse on the ward had to tell me one baby hadn't survived. But Paula was going to be okay."

"That's it? That's all they told you?"

"What else could they say?"

"Did you see the stillborn infant?"

"No, Agent DiNozzo. I remember I was so groggy from the anesthesia… I did ask, but I was told it wasn't possible; the hospital had already taken care of disposing of the remains. 'Medical waste', they called it. Broke my heart, but my attention quickly turned to Paula. She was alive. She was fussing and needed me."

"I see," Tony said, his mind absorbing all the information he was hearing. Though it seemed like the twin theory was at a dead end, he refused to believe it was a coincidence Paula and Donna were almost identical in appearance.

"Agent DiNozzo," D.J. started, anxiety heavy in her voice, "I don't know what to make of this woman who looked like my Paula. Your questions, though… They're raising in my mind some very disturbing possibilities."

At once Tony appreciated her candour. She was astute, already thinking along the same lines as he was. "Okay, so you took Paula home, and that was the last you ever had anything to do with that hospital?"

"Yes, exactly. My husband was transferred from Toronto back to the 'States a few months later. We never returned to Canada. And to be quite honest, I never wanted to go back there. Too much sadness associated with the place after losing that twin."

"That's understandable," Tony uttered. "But I know what we're both thinking, Mrs. Cassidy, and that's the possibility the twin you thought you lost... that twin actually survived…"

D.J. nodded. "And that twin was this 'Donna Sabine'. Is there any way you can look into this? I have to know. I _need_ to know…"

Tony stole a glance at Gibbs. The older man gave a slight shrug as if to say he did not know if any kind of investigation into the matter would fall under the purview of NCIS. "Let me consult with the director, Mrs. Cassidy," he said guardedly.

"Please, will you let me know as soon as possible? I don't think I'll be able to rest until I know for sure."

"Of course," Tony replied. They ended the Skype call with the promise that he would keep her apprised of the situation.

Director Vance was not in the office that Sunday. While Tony was loath to contact the man at his home, he felt this was important enough to warrant an interruption at his residence. Leon was surprisingly not upset to be disturbed. Tony carefully laid out the reason for his call, ending with the request to open an investigation into the true identity of one Donna Sabine.

"Director," Tony said, hoping to shore up his case, "NCIS investigates crimes involving the Navy _and their families._ Paula Cassidy and Donna Sabine may now both be deceased, but if Constable Sabine was Paula's twin—and I believe that to be highly likely—then we're talking kidnapping, and there's no statute of limitations for k–"

"You don't have to quote to me this agency's mandate, or the law regarding kidnapping, Agent DiNozzo," Vance interrupted with a touch of exasperation.

"If you won't approve it, I will take my vacation time and go up to Toronto to investigate by myself," Tony said solemnly.

There was a moment of silence on Vance's end as he weighed Tony's words. He was not fond of ultimatums; however, he also could not help but think of the circumstances surrounding Agent Cassidy's heroic death. Jenny Shepard had been NCIS director at the time; nevertheless, Vance was quite aware of how Paula gave her life to save those of DiNozzo, Gibbs, and several imams. There was a debt owed, and Tony was somehow seeing this as his way to repay it.

"Go," Leon finally said. "Find out what you can. I'm sure the SRU/Toronto Police Service will also be very keen to know if a crime was committed against one of their officers, even if it was over 42 years ago. If you uncover something worth the MCRT's involvement, I'll approve the rest of the team, too."

Tony breathed out in relief. He had not been at all sure Vance would okay this side mission, but now he could be on his way. "Thank you, Director," he said.

"You have 72 hours to find that 'something', DiNozzo," cautioned Vance. "That's all I'm willing to give you. The 'crimes affecting family' connection you cited is a tenuous one, but I get that this is personal for you."

"It is, sir," Tony admitted, slightly surprised Vance had intuited that from their brief chat. "Don't worry: I'll make every hour count."

"See that you do."

* * *

"Abby, I have a rush job for you," Tony announced.

The woman in the lab coat and garish goth makeup peered up at him from a lab bench where she was conducting some sort of experiment Tony could not identify. "You and everyone else, Tony," she crooned with a half grin.

"I think you're going to get a kick out of this one."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Check your email," Tony said. "I've just sent you two pictures. I want you to run a facial recognition on them to see if there's a match."

Abby hopped over to her computer to open the documents. "Paula Cassidy?" she said after opening the image documents. "Why am I running a scan on pictures of Paula?" She sent a suspicious look at Tony to see if he was pulling her leg.

"Because _that_ one," Tony said, pointing to the picture of Donna Sabine, "is _not _Paula."

"You're joking," Abby said, spinning back and scrutinizing the images in much the same manner the others on the team had. "That is _so_ weird! Who is she if she's not Paula?"

"_She_ was Constable Donna Sabine of the Toronto Strategic Response Unit," replied Tony, pointing to Donna's image.

"'Was'?" Abby repeated, having picked up on Tony's use of the past tense. She fixed her gaze on him again.

He nodded. "Donna Sabine was unfortunately killed on Friday in those bombings."

"Double-weird," Abby sighed, with a sad shake of head. "I mean, after all, that's how Paula…"

"I know," Tony murmured, not needing Abby to remind him of how Paula met her fate. "So, I need to know what your scan turns up. I'm heading to Toronto tomorrow to dig into this. Paula was born there. I spoke to her mother a little while ago; it turns out Paula was twins, but Mrs. Cassidy was told one of the twins was stillborn."

"And you think somehow that twin really wasn't stillborn, and Donna Sabine was that twin?" Abby asked slowly.

"Exactly," Tony affirmed. "If we get a match, I think we can make a pretty good case that the hospital staff lied to Mrs. Cassidy."

"Which means you've got an old kidnapping to investigate," Abby chirped, fully understanding the importance of the rush request. "I'm on it, Tony."

"Thanks, Abby," he said fervently. "Let me know when you have something."

* * *

TBC

* * *

*NTAS—National Terrorism Advisory System: "In 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) replaced the color-coded alerts of the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) with the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS), designed to more effectively communicate information about terrorist threats by providing timely, detailed information to the American public."

-Department of (US) Homeland Security site


	2. Mirror Image

**Chapter 2:**

**Mirror Image**

* * *

_**Monday, June 25, 2012**_

Air traffic had been restored to Pearson International two days earlier, so Tony had no trouble getting a flight from D.C. to the major Canadian metropolitan center. Prior to his departure, he made an official request to meet with a senior member of the Strategic Response Unit. He was initially worried no one would be able to accommodate him due to the very recent tragedies that had rocked their unit. But when he was finally put in touch with a Commander Norm Holleran, the man was both intrigued and disturbed by Tony's theories concerning Donna Sabine and Paula Cassidy. A meeting was set for three p.m. on Monday afternoon.

Once he landed and cleared customs, DiNozzo checked into a hotel near the SRU headquarters. The flight had been without incident, although the aerial view once they entered Toronto airspace revealed obvious signs of destruction to several structures far below. Tony recalled from news reports that there had been a total of ten bombs planted by Marcus Faber throughout the city. Four of them had gone off, injuring and killing over eighty people; the casualty list had very sadly included children.

He had about an hour before he was expected for the meeting, so he mentally reviewed what he hoped to communicate to Commander Holleran. Tony brought with him Paula Cassidy's NCIS dossier, along with digital copies of photographs D.J. Cassidy released to him. Most importantly, he brought Paula's DNA profile. If the family of the deceased Donna Sabine consented, a comparison could be made, the results of which would either confirm or refute the twin theory. If a match was found, Tony knew a criminal investigation could very well be launched. D.J. Cassidy would certainly want answers; he wanted them, too. So far, he knew scant details about SRU Constable Donna Sabine. He expected that would change once he met with Norm Holleran. The facial-recognition program he asked Abby to run yesterday had been unable to differentiate between the two women, another concrete indication this was more than an uncanny case of a superficial resemblance.

D.J. had provided Tony with the name of the hospital where she'd given birth, as well as the name of the obstetrician. With the assistance of the Toronto police, Tony hoped their investigation could start there. For the time being, he was awaiting jurisdictional permission. All that aside, a low-grade anger simmered within. It was probably the same kind of burning sensation Gibbs referred to as his "gut" feeling, and Tony's gut was telling him someone had wronged D.J. Cassidy over 42 years ago. His keen investigator's mind was whirling. He was already 99% convinced Donna Sabine was Paula's twin. How had it come to pass, then, that D.J. was told the baby was stillborn? Someone, somewhere had either been grossly mistaken, or they had deliberately lied and been complicit in the kidnapping of a newborn. Tony dearly hoped Norm Holleran would be able to put him in contact with the Sabine family. What did they know of Donna's origins? Were they aware of some malfeasance, or were they oblivious? Was it some black-market kidnapping ring that had been operating out of the hospital at the time? Whatever it was, Tony was determined for the truth to come out.

* * *

SRU Commander Norm Holleran felt like he had not slept since the day of the bombings. All his energy was sapped from attending too many official meetings and debriefings. Then had come seemingly endless piles of paperwork. Worst of all had been making the dreaded next-of-kin notification for his deceased officers. Majority of that was now behind him, but in the middle of that mess had come a most unexpected phone call from a small, little-known U.S. federal agency. Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was hoping to meet with someone about Constable Donna Sabine. DiNozzo spun an interesting yarn about a deceased Special Agent Paula Cassidy. Norm's ears had perked up when the agent said there was a distinct possibility Donna was the heretofore unknown twin of Paula. It was the last thing he expected to hear in the wake of Donna's untimely demise, but Norm had to admit Agent DiNozzo's case held merit.

Ahead of his three o'clock appointment, Norm made sure he had Donna's personnel file ready. He had not known the minute details of her life, but as he read into it, Norm was minimally surprised to discover she had, in fact, been adopted. That detail seemed to bolster the twin theory coming out of Washington D.C.; still, anything was possible. For the time being, Holleran refrained from contacting Hank Gerald, the man who had been married to Donna for just over a year. He knew a sister named Carolyn had just flown in from somewhere overseas, but Norm had yet to hear anything further about anyone else in the family. _All in good time_, he thought. He would wait to see what else this Agent DiNozzo had to say. No need to burden or distress Donna's surviving relatives and loved ones with anything else right now.

At ten to three, DiNozzo found his way up to the floor that housed Commander Holleran's office in the SRU headquarters. A young uniformed woman with dark hair and caramel-coloured skin regarded him from behind the dispatch desk. Her name badge identified her as 'W. Camden'. Those who knew her generally called her by the shortened version of her first name—"Winnie". There was a weariness in her eyes Tony recognized as a mix of grief and exhaustion. Politely, Winnie asked how she could assist him.

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS." He held out his identification, which she scrutinized before returning it to him. "I have a meeting at three with Commander Norman Holleran."

"Yes, he's expecting you," she said, as she picked up the phone. "Commander, the NCIS agent has arrived…" Tony watched as she nodded at what she was hearing. When she hung up, she said, "I'll escort you to his office."

"Thank you," Tony said, trailing behind her as she exited the desk. Their path took them across a shiny floor emblazoned with the SRU crest, past a workout area complete with gym equipment, then down a hall with rooms sealed behind soundproofed blast doors. A single knock on Holleran's partially open door was met with a gruff "Come in!"

Winnie cocked her head in the direction of the office. "Go ahead," she said, and swiftly retreated. Tony put his hand to the knob to swing the door open fully. He entered the office then carefully returned the door to its original position. The man he came to meet stood straight and extended his hand in greeting. Tony estimated he was in his early 50's by the greying hair on his head. He noticed a deep tiredness in Holleran's dark eyes; the laugh-lines around his mouth were now drawn into frown lines and the forehead creases seemed more pronounced than they probably should have been. For a brief moment, he imagined this is how a clean-shaven Leon Vance might appear in another ten years or so.

After exchanging the usual formalities, both men sat. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice, especially under such tragic circumstances, sir," Tony said solemnly. "I'm sorry for your losses. You have the deep condolences of the entire NCIS agency."

"Thank you, Agent DiNozzo," Holleran said quickly in reply, seeming eager to move forward with the reason for the meeting. "Please, proceed."

"NCIS is very interested in knowing the circumstances surrounding the births of twin girls born to a Mrs. D.J. Cassidy in December of 1969," Tony began without any further preamble. "The Cassidy family has long lived with the story that one of those twins was stillborn, a story they were told by the head nurse on the maternity ward where the births took place. We believe that was a lie, which means we're most likely looking at kidnapping."

At this point, Tony opened his briefcase to pull out a hard copy of Paula Cassidy's dossier and a laptop for viewing digital files. "As I mentioned during our phone conversation, we have a strong suspicion that the one 'stillborn' twin was your Constable Donna Sabine."

"Hmm…" Norm murmured while looking at Paula Cassidy's file. "That _is_ a very familiar-looking face. If you'd asked me if this was a picture of Donna Sabine, I would not have hesitated to say 'yes'." He took another few minutes to read the information on the pages, flipping through them with a dainty reverence. Tony sat still as he waited, but his eyes roved over the commander's desk, drawn to a manila folder that was clearly marked 'Cst. Donna Sabine'. Would the file contain anything helpful? He hoped so.

Holleran finally returned the NCIS document to DiNozzo. "Paula Cassidy saved your life," he stated the fact. "It's five years too late, but I am sorry for your loss, too. It's never easy when you lose a colleague in the line of duty."

Tony cleared his throat. "No, sir. It isn't."

Norm kept a steady gaze on Tony's face, analyzing what he saw. Something about the NCIS agent's demeanour indicated Paula Cassidy had been more than merely a colleague, and this case went beyond investigating a potential decades-old kidnapping. He hoped his unit would be able to help provide answers. "Here's Donna Sabine's file," he said, sliding the folder towards Tony. "Before you even open it, I can confirm already that the dates of birth for both woman are a match."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Tony said, trying to mask his enthusiasm as he opened the file. He read the biographical information slowly, confirming what he had just been told, which was that Donna Sabine had been born in Toronto in 1969 on the same date as Paula. No birth parents' names were listed, but the name of the adoptive mother was: Genevieve Sabine. One adoptive sibling was a woman two years Donna's senior named Carolyn. Spouse: Henry Jai Gerald. Tony felt a tug of dismay when he noted that Constable Sabine lost her life mere days following her first anniversary. "How is Henry Gerald?"

Norm pursed his lips before answering, remembering the man's heartbroken reaction at being told Donna would never be coming home again. "Have you ever watched the light go out of someone's eyes?" he asked, not really expecting an answer.

Tony averted his gaze, an action followed up by a single, slow nod. Yes, he certainly had. More often than he cared to count.

"Hank is devastated," Norm finally gave a direct answer.

"Do you think he'll consent to having a DNA comparison done between Donna and Paula?" Tony asked gently. "We already have permission from the Cassidy family."

"Possibly," Norm said. "Hank doesn't know anything about this yet. Things are… fragile right now. I'm sure I don't have to explain the arduous task the recovery teams have had at the site of the explosion. Hank is painfully aware he's not going to have a body to bury; just 'remains'. Complicating things is that it was a _dirty_ bomb that killed Constables Sabine and Gallagher. The whole Brookfield campus has been off-limits to civilians since Friday."

Tony sucked in a breath and winced. He remembered reading something about that in one of the press releases. Nearby residents, university students and staff were currently observing the perimeter erected around the campus by health and safety authorities until it was cleared. "I've brought Paula's DNA profile. When Mr. Gerald is ready…"

Norm nodded. "Of course. I will make sure your request is passed on to him."

With sincerity, Tony uttered his thanks. "One more thing…" He opened the laptop and brought up the results of the scan Abby conducted. "Our facial-recognition program at NCIS was not able differentiate between the two women when our tech ran their pictures through." He turned the laptop for Norm to see the screen.

"'Complete match found'," Norm said, bobbing his head. "Based on all of the preliminary information, Agent DiNozzo—from the date and place of birth to the facial match—I think we can both agree your kidnapping supposition is looking pretty solid. I'm going to put you in touch with a Homicide detective I know with Metro Police as your liaison. Let's get the ball rolling; I understand you're under a time constraint."

"I am, sir. NCIS appreciates any and all help the Toronto Police can provide."

* * *

TBC


	3. Liaison

**Chapter 3:  
_Liaison_**

* * *

Former SRU Constable Rafik Rousseau—currently Detective Constable Rafik Rousseau of Homicide—was initially unsure what to make of being assigned to liaise with U.S. federal agent Anthony DiNozzo. The city was still a mess following the bombings. Law enforcement manpower was stretched thin, causing him to wonder why this task had fallen to him when he could be spending his efforts on other matters. However, it quickly became evident why his ex-commanding officer had specifically requested him: this case involved a very recently deceased SRU constable.

Raf had not worked directly with Donna Sabine, but he had nevertheless been shocked and deeply saddened to learn of her death in Friday's terrorist bombings. They had many friends in common on the force; had worked on the same SRU team, though their duties on that team had not coincided. He had also been witness to one of the worst days of Donna's tragically short life. Over a year ago, SRU Team One had responded to gunfire at a wedding ceremony—that of Hank and Donna. Raf reflected now on how the day's events spiralled out of control due to both a betrayal and a crime family's vendetta against Donna and former undercover Vice officers. The gang marked the spouses of the cops for death, attempting to exact a sick form of vengeance for the in-prison death of the head of their crime family.

With a rueful shake of his head, Raf remembered Donna's anguish when she faced down her own ex-partner from Vice—a partner who had shot Hank. He thought of the murderous rage that spilled out from Donna, the despair in her voice at the thought her dreams of a new life with her husband were destroyed.

_If Ed Lane hadn't been there to talk her down from shooting Bill Kedrick, Donna would be behind bars right now... _Raf mused, then mentally kicked himself. _Oh, God. Donna would probably still be alive right now. In prison—but alive. It isn't fair._

Raf had only been vaguely aware of the existence of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as a law enforcement agency. While waiting for Agent DiNozzo to arrive at his police division, Raf turned over in his mind the details Holleran shared about his newest case. When he first heard from Norm, he could not fathom what NCIS' interest in Donna could possibly be. As far as Raf knew, Donna had zero connection to the U.S. Navy. The more Norm revealed, the more troubling it all became. Was it possible Donna had been kidnapped as a newborn? It seemed too incredible to be true, yet Raf had encountered enough craziness in the course of his career to discount the possibility outright. He did not relish the idea of approaching Donna's family with this investigation. Their lives were already in enough turmoil, but there was another long-suffering family out there that deserved answers.

It was late afternoon by the time the agent arrived, but the man did not seem the least bit fatigued by either the hour or his earlier travel. Tony approached Raf in the cubby-hole of an office and took a seat opposite the other man when offered. Now that he had the blessing of both NCIS and the Toronto Police Service to proceed with this case, he wanted nothing more than to push through, full speed ahead. However, this was Detective Rousseau's turf, and Tony knew he would have to respect that.

"I'm going to leave it to Commander Holleran to speak to Donna's family," Raf said in a voice that reminded Tony of Barry White's soothing bass tones. "We don't talk to them until he gives us the all-clear. If they say 'no', we respect that."

Interiorly, Tony mused it would be disappointing if that happened, but he gave a genuine nod of understanding. "That's okay. I get it."

Satisfied DiNozzo was on the same page, Raf continued: "Instead, we can start tracking down the people who would have been working in that hospital back in December of '69."

"That's more than forty years of history to dig up," Tony said, unsure of what precisely would be involved, unfamiliar as he was with Canadian law enforcement practices. "What are the odds we'll find something useful?"

"We won't know until we try," Raf responded. "You have the hospital name and the OB/Gyn's name, right?"

"Yeah, a Dr. Richard Bryant at Toronto General," Tony affirmed.

"That's already a good start."

"Probably retired by now. I'd also like to identify the head nurse on the ward at the time. She's the one who told Mrs. Cassidy of the alleged stillbirth."

Raf leaned back in his seat comfortably. "Yeah, she's definitely someone I'd like to talk to."

"Unfortunately, Mrs. Cassidy doesn't remember her name," Tony muttered, relaxing his posture as Raf had, balancing his briefcase on his lap.

"If she was head nurse, there's bound to be somebody out there who does remember," an upbeat Raf said, leaning forward again. "Don't worry. If she's still out there, we'll find her."

"Is this that whole Mounties-always-gets-their-man thing?" Tony asked, impressed with Raf's optimism.

"Uh, we're not RCMP here, man," Raf replied, looking at Tony with a wry grin.

Tony gasped in mock surprise. "Heh! Is _that_ why none of you are walking around in that Red Serge with the hat and boots? I was starting to wonder..."

Raf shook his head as he logged into his desktop PC. "We're going to run this doctor's name against our criminal database and see if anything comes up."

"Okay, great," said Tony. "Agent Cassidy's mother is anxious for any news I can provide."

Raf chewed his lip. "I gotta say: One of my concerns from all this is if Constable Sabine was actually taken from her mother as a newborn, was she the only one, or was there some kind of black market kidnapping ring working out of that hospital at the time?"

Tony nodded. "I was thinking the same thing," he said quickly, not admitting his primary concern was still focused on helping D.J. Cassidy—the locals could figure out what to do with deeper issues affecting them, past or present.

"And if that's the case," Raf continued, "who knows how many people could have been involved, and for how long it was going on?"

"For your sake," said Tony, "I hope it's not anywhere near as bad as–"

"Oh, here we go... we got a hit on Dr. Richard Bryant, OB/Gyn," Raf interjected. "Seems he was drunk on the job and botched a delivery in '81. Both mother and infant died. Was arrested, found guilty, lost his license in '82, and was fired from the hospital; served some time in prison for involuntary manslaughter."

"Whoa, he was working while intoxicated? What a piece of work," Tony said with distaste.

"News archives from the time say even his wife left him over the scandal," Raf continued.

"Where is he now?"

"Uh... Necropolis Cemetery."

Realisation hit Tony. "Wait—he's dead?"

"Obituary says as of June, 1989."

"Damn."

* * *

**_SRU Headquarters_**

Winnie stood up to leave her desk as Peter Henderson arrived at her side to relieve her from dispatch duty.

"Have a good night, Winnie," he said as he slipped on the headset and logged into the communications system.

"You, too," she replied before heading towards the locker room to change into civilian clothes. Minutes later, she emerged and was met by Constable Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti, who had just completed another in a seemingly endless series of meetings regarding the past Friday's events. She smiled at him as he crossed over to give her a quick hug.

"Hi," he greeted her warmly.

"'Hi' to you, too," she replied. For the hundredth time, Winnie sent a mental prayer of thanksgiving that Spike had made it through _that day_ alive and unscathed. Disarming bombs was his specialty, so the danger to him, specifically, had never felt so dire as it had then.

"Ready to go?" Spike asked expectantly.

"Yes, absolutely," she said with a nod, happy for his company. Privately, the thought crossed Winnie's mind how glad she was this man had waited long enough for her to drop her unwritten rule about not wanting to date cops. It had been a rule she rationalized to be one that would keep her safe from heartbreak; in the end, it was a rule that made her miserable. Tonight was going to be their first official dinner date, and despite the horrors they had all endured mere days ago, Winnie was looking forward to a fun evening.

"Good day?" Spike asked, as they drove to their destination.

"Pretty good," she answered. "Coordinating with the other regions for calls hasn't been as complicated as I feared it might be. With Team Three down for who knows how long, and your team being stood down for the week by Holleran... I was a little worried things might get out of control. But things were pretty quiet today."

Spike gave a slow, solemn nod. "Good..."

Tentatively, Winnie asked: "Any news about Greg?"

"Still in the ICU," he replied. "Ed told me; he checked up on the Sarge when they discharged Clark today. Dean is staying with the Lanes for the next little while... at least until Greg recovers."

"I'm so relieved Clark is going to be okay. But poor Dean," Winnie breathed a sigh. "You should have seen him, Spike. The kid was so terrified for his dad when he heard what was going on at Fletcher Stadium. Part of me wanted to kill the transmission, but... somehow I think having Greg hear Dean's voice... telling him to hold on... somehow, I think that gave him the strength he needed."

A cold, heavy boulder seemed to settle in Spike's gut as the memory of _that day_ streaked across his consciousness. He remembered hearing his boss' yelp of pain after getting shot. There was also his own yelling at Greg over the comm to cut the wire to disable Marcus Faber's last bomb. He remembered the awful dread of not knowing if Greg could even still hear him; not knowing if he had the ability to complete the necessary action.

"You okay?" Winnie asked carefully.

"Umm, not really," Spike admitted, trying to keep focused on driving though his eyes were threatening to tear up. "I—I thought Greg was going to die."

"Me, too," Winnie whispered.

"It should have been me," Spike declared. "_I _am the bomb expert on Team One. I'm the one with all the training for that."

"Spike..."

"And then Team Three... When I heard Donna say the bomb at Brookfield wasn't like the other bombs we'd seen earlier and that she couldn't find the detonator–"

"No, don't you do this to yourself, Spike Scarlatti!" Winnie cut in. "You know better than to blame yourself for what happened to Team Three. You _know_ Faber wanted to kill as many people as possible. He set that trap deliberately. If it had been you who responded to that... _you_ would have been the one he killed."

"I nearly puked when Greg said Donna was gone," muttered Spike, seeming not to have heard what Winnie said. "If I could have just _been there_... Maybe I could have seen something she didn't..."

"Please, stop," Winnie beseeched, eyes smarting with moisture that threatened to spill over.

"I can't help but think about it, Winnie! Two cops are gone. Donna was my _friend_. We let her down."

"She was my friend, too." Winnie's throat closed. She swiped at the tear that fell down her cheek.

Spike inhaled sharply in an attempt to get his emotions under control.

"She wouldn't have blamed you, Spike," Winnie said after her tears stopped. "You heard what she said..."

"She _said_ she could 'handle it'," Spike repeated Donna's words with a bitter edge. "She should have waited. If she had just waited..."

"Don't you think, Spike... that she said 'I can handle it' because she knew it was actually hopeless? That she did not want to put you or anyone else in unnecessary danger? That it was her way of warning everyone to stay away?"

By his silence, Winnie figured Spike had not considered that possibility.

"It should not have happened. Period."

"You're right," Winnie affirmed. "It shouldn't. But it did. And it's okay to be upset that there was nothing you could have done to prevent it."

"Okay, time to change the subject," Spike announced, having no more desire to discuss the matter.

"Fine by me," said Winnie, though she worried the mood in the car had thoroughly ruined any chance of their enjoying the planned date. Maybe choosing to go out tonight had been a bad idea. She had been on the verge of telling Spike how Holleran had asked her to pull Donna's file prior to the meeting with that U.S. federal agent, but decided any further mention of their fallen colleague would be a terrible idea.

"Hey, I'm sorry," Spike spoke after several minutes of uncomfortable silence.

"For what?"

"I didn't mean to upset you. I want us to have a good time tonight, and things did not get off to a very good start."

"I want us to have a good time tonight, too," Winnie admitted. "And I know we planned this date before... everything happened."

"Should we have cancelled? Do you want to do this another time?"

"No, no. I want to go out with you, Spike!" Winnie was adamant. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

"Me, too."

"Good. Then let's put all the bad stuff behind us. At least for the next few hours."

"Agreed," Spike said with a decisive nod, and forced himself to focus on the road ahead, knowing there would time enough in the days to come to grieve.

* * *

Tony settled into his utilitarian hotel room for the night. Before leaving Raf's division, the men agreed their first course of action in the morning would be to speak with administration at Toronto General. Raf promised he would even procure a warrant to avoid any hassles.

So far, things were rolling smoother than he could have hoped, and he was grateful for the cooperation of the SRU and Toronto Police Service. After emailing a quick report to Director Vance about the day's events confirming an investigation had indeed been opened, Tony knew his next action should be to contact D.J. Cassidy.

She answered his call on the second ring. Her eagerness at wanting to know how the investigation was progressing was initially overwhelming. Tony filled her in with as many details as he was officially permitted, hoping she would be satisfied for the time being.

"We haven't got the family's permission yet for DNA comparison, but we're working on it," Tony said.

"_But there was still a match with the facial-recognition program, you said?_" asked D.J.

"That's right," Tony confirmed.

Her next words to him would catch him off-guard: "_I'm coming to Toronto_."

"No, no, there's no need to do that, Mrs. Cassidy," Tony said hastily.

"_I have to, Agent DiNozzo. I have to put this to rest._"

"Mrs. Cassidy, we're still not even 100% certain Donna Sabine was Paula's twin—"

"_You might not have DNA evidence_," she said, "_but we both know all the evidence you told me about so far supports the possibility she was my daughter. A daughter who was stolen from me at birth. Agent DiNozzo, I've spent forty-two years believing a lie. It's time to confront that lie and bring the truth to light._"

"You're free to do what you think is right, Mrs. Cassidy," Tony relented. "My only request is that you allow us to investigate this without any interference."

"_You have my word, Agent DiNozzo,_" D.J. said solemnly. "_I simply need to be there when you get to the bottom of this, wherever it leads._"

"Okay, I'm in Toronto for the next forty-eight hours, unless Director Vance permits an extension."

"_I'm already on-line now booking a red-eye flight_," said D.J.

_Damn, she wasn't joking_, DiNozzo thought. "Fine. You have my number; let me know when you arrive."

"_I'll do that, Agent DiNozzo. I can't tell you how thankful I am that you're doing all of this. Paula would... Paula would have been so happy._"

"You're welcome, Mrs. Cassidy," Tony said. "For your sake, I really do hope we can get the answers you're looking for."

* * *

TBC


End file.
